- Craig Custance of ESPN: Patrick Roy on drafting Nate MacKinnon.
“It would be tough for us not to take MacKinnon,” Roy told ESPN The Magazine. “MacKinnon is ready to play tomorrow.”
“We have received a lot of calls. Joe has received some. I have received some,” Roy said. “It’s important for us to see, what can we do to make our team better? We have to look at all options. We can’t just close our eyes and say, ‘Let’s just take a player.’ ”
“It would be great for MacKinnon to start there. Less pressure,” Roy said. “It’s the perfect fit for him.”
- NHL.com: Avalanche’s Joe Sake on if they would take Nate MacKinnon with the first overall pick.
“If we had to do it today, he’d probably be the guy,” Sakic, Colorado’s executive vice president of hockey operations, told CBS4 TV in Denver on Monday. “But we still have some time.”
On taking a forward over a defenseman.
“Obviously we feel is going to have a real good career,” Sakic said. “But after doing our homework, we believe these forwards are just too good to pass up right now.”
On MacKinnon.
“Nathan MacKinnon, we saw what he did in the Memorial Cup — ever since he was a kid, he’s elevated his game,” Sakic said. “That’s the one thing I like about him. He’s lived under the microscope of being the next Crosby, and he’s done pretty well with that. I’m not saying he will be , but he’s got a lot of upside.”
- Adrian Dater via sulia: If the Avs are to trade down to the No. 2 with the Panthers, Dater is hearing they want Erik Gudbranson included.
- Joe Yerdon: “The Avs are gonna take MacKinnon until a team offers up a king’s ransom for the No. 1 pick and then they’re gonna laugh.”
